To navigate through the Ribbon, use standard browser navigation keys. To skip between groups, use Ctrl+LEFT or Ctrl+RIGHT. To jump to the first Ribbon tab use Ctrl+[. To jump to the last selected command use Ctrl+]. To activate a command, use Enter.

Mario Nievera

Palm Beach, FL | Distinguished Ag Alumni: 2009

Whether the site is a jet aviation facility
in Palm Beach County, Florida, or a $20
million, 19-acre estate and garden in
Southampton, New York, projects developed
by acclaimed landscape designer Mario
Nievera sport signature trademarks—
simplicity, scale, and attention to detail.
“When I create an environment that
people enjoy, I know I’ve succeeded,”
says Nievera.
As founder and president of Mario
Nievera Design Incorporated—with
offices in Florida and New York—his
aesthetically pleasing landscape designs
delight residential, corporate,
institutional, and commercial clients
nationwide. Prior to launching his firm
in 1996, Nievera was employed by
Morgan Wheelock Incorporated, rising
from staff landscape architect to
principal and vice president.
Nievera also cultivates a sense of
environmental guardianship. Among his
most rewarding projects was a re-design
of planting and hardscape for Palm
Beach Public Park—an appealing
pocket of land featuring planting
containers and extensive use of
xeriscape plant material.
Buildings settle easily into Nievera’s
landscapes. His design solution for
Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode
Island, united original and new campus
buildings and incorporated a one-acre
lawn with fountains and seating.
Recently, his inspirational design work
graced the pages of Architectural Digest,
Forbes, and House Beautiful. A Wall
Street Journal Online article featured
Nievera among a handful of emerging
landscape designer stars reputed for
outstanding work on high-profile
residential designs.
Such recognition may well be rooted
in an early eye for aesthetics.
“I’ve always been obsessed with
houses and how they’re situated on the
land,” says Nievera, who recalls building
houses from cardboard and manila
folders as a youngster. “Even today,
everything links to my profession. My
work is also my favorite hobby.”
“My experience at Purdue was sensational,
and the opportunities and resources provided
by my professors and the Landscape Architecture
Program were extraordinary. Purdue University’s
worldwide reputation for educational excellence
contributed greatly to my success.”